Police arrested a woman suspected of burglarizing at least two cars and a North State Street business early Wednesday, June 29.

Ferndale resident Faith Joy Schmitt, 38, was booked into Whatcom County Jail at 5:47 a.m. Wednesday on outstanding warrants and charges related to the burglaries, according to jail records.

Schmitt was arrested as she ransacked a silver Ford Focus in the 1200 block of Railroad Avenue just before 5 a.m., said Bellingham police Lt. Bob Vander Yacht. He said officers were investigating the burglary of a gray Ford Ranger pickup when a car alarm sounded nearby.

“They saw her, and she was still leaning into the car,” Vander Yacht said.

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When officers searched Schmitt, they found “a wad of cash” that matched the amount stolen in a break-in at the Sugar Shack salon and spa at 1153 N. State St. in the Herald Building, Vander Yacht said.

Sugar Shack owner Arian Henders said the glass front door was smashed and a cash box with $250 was missing. Also stolen was a $500 iPad Mini. Using a tracking app, Henders found her iPad around the corner on Chestnut Street – damaged from being run over by a car but still operational.

Henders was still conducting an inventory Wednesday afternoon, but she said several pairs of sunglasses and dermatological products were missing.

Officers also were investigating the burglary of a white Ford van in a parking lot south of the Herald Building, but Schmitt hadn’t been linked to that crime Wednesday morning, Vander Yacht said.

Schmitt was arrested on suspicion of third-degree malicious mischief and second-degree vehicle prowl. She also faces allegations of failure to appear in court on charges of identity theft, theft and trafficking.

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